A statistical analysis of natural images matches psychophysically derived orientation tuning curves

Abstract
A neural net method is used to extract principal components from real-world images. The initial components are a Gaussian followed by horizontal and vertical operators, starting with the first derivative and moving to successively higher orders. Two of the components are `bar-detectors'. Their measured orientation selectivity is similar to that suggested by Foster & Ward (Proc. R. Soc. Lond. B 243, 75 (1991)) to account for brief-exposure psychophysical data. In tests with noise images, the ratio of sensitivity between the two components is controlled by the degree of anisotropy in the image.

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